The Book of Mudora: Hyrulian Chronicles
by RAH129
Summary: The first in this series of short stories is called Original Sin: When Hyrule was young, it was an earthly paradise, blessed by the Gods' touch and the relics they left behind. But what happens when one of these divine artefacts falls into the wrong hands


I find this site a good medium to practise writing and experimenting in different genres, somethjing which will no doubt help me as I am soon going to be starting my career in journalism. The Zelda series is one of my favourites and so I thought that this would be as good a place as any to start posting my work.

Ok, this project is a series of short stories set in the Zelda universe, specifically the land of Hyrule. I didn't really want to write a huge piece following just one storyline, nor did I want to focis on Link as my main character. There are so many other stories and characters in the Zelda series which haven't been properly explored, I thought it would be a good idea to try and flesh out the world in which the series takes place. I have a shortlist of ideas that I'm going to try and turn into stories, but any suggestions would be welcome.

The first episode in this series is called 'Original Sin' and focuses on the beginnings of evil in Hyrule; specifically, it is the story of two boys: Ari and Gustaf (who makes an appearance in Minish Cap for those of you who don't know), and my take on the events that are mentioned as legend in that game.

I've planned for this partivular story to be set over about five 'chapters', before moving on to another tale, so i'll just let you enjoy it (hopefully) for now.

Adieu.

**The Most Sacred & Ancient**

**Book of Mudora**

_In the beginning amidst the darkness of eternal space, from a distant nebula three goddesses were sent upon a formless chaotic waste of a world._

_Din, the goddess of power forged the mountains and great plains from the fiery bowels of desolation and separated the waters of the sky and between the land. Farore engendered living intelligence upon the land with many creatures of varied kind, male and female they were. Nayru with wisdom brought the order of law and harmony upon nature and set into motion the everlasting cycle of birth, life, death, and afterlife and these three created the unification of cosmic balance._

_Before these beautiful goddesses travelled onward to create anew their masterwork they bestowed a manifestation of their essence within a mighty artefact called the Triforce, an object that would be sought by many and attained by only one. The Triforce took its place within its heavenly annex within a Sacred Realm where the spirits roam free. And so began the odyssey of Hyrule._

**Chapter 1-1**

**Original Sin**

There was a time when Hyrule was but young, when the land sang and there was no evil. It was an earthly paradise, where Hylian, Goron, Zora and all of the Gods' creations lived in perfect harmony with one another; truly it was the golden age of Hyrule. There were no kings or leaders, there was no need for them, and instead the citizens worshipped the three deities who had given birth to their land, and the sacred relics which had been left behind; reminders of the cosmic powers that had preceded them.

One of these, the Triforce, lay in a Golden Realm, beyond the boundary of this world; whilst the three sacred stones, which together formed a key to this Realm, were entrusted into the care of the three predominant races of the world: the Hylians, the Gorons and the Wind Tribe.

There was however, another relic left behind by the Goddesses upon the creation of Hyrule: the Book of Mudora. For centuries, the book remained hidden, surfacing only occasionally throughout history. A full chronicle of Hyrule's history from its creation to its destruction was contained within its pages, and though for the most part, the book remained constant, it was forever changing, altering itself. The book's malleable nature meant that those who read it often saw only what they wanted to see, and it was in these cases that trouble usually arose.

It was in the early times of peace when Ari, a young Hylian from the western Trilby Highlands, first came across the book. Ari was an intelligent young boy, and with it came a slight arrogance, and a nagging feeling that he was destined for greater things. He never voiced such thoughts, as it was unheard of for any citizen of Hyrule to be anything but utterly content with themselves and the world in general, but it was always there, brooding in his subconscious.

The one person he did confide in was Gustaf. Friends virtually since birth, the two were never separated for long and as they grew up, they formed a truly great friendship.

Often Ari would ask Gustaf whether he never wanted something more than what Hyrule could offer him; to which Gustaf would answer, "What more could I possibly want?"

Despite their differing views and attitudes, the two boys never fought, and when it came time for them to go to school, their friendship only strengthened.

After several years of school, with both boys nearing their fourteenth birthdays, Ari stayed behind in Hyrule Town's library to study. It was a particularly hot summer day and he was finding it impossible to concentrate, so, instead of starting the long trek back to Trilby, he merely explored the library's cavernous interior.

The library was one of the oldest buildings in the town, and there were corners of it where dust was thick and it seemed as though no-one had walked for decades. In one such corner, Ari knelt down and started to flip through some of the large tomes that lined the walls. He was barely glancing at the books and was just thinking about going home when something caught his eye. Peering closer in the gloom, Ari made out a large, leather-bound book, stitched with golden lettering. On the spine were ornate letters that read 'The Most Sacred & Ancient Book of Mudora'. At first, he couldn't think what had drawn his eye to the book over the countless others beside it, but then he realised with a jolt that it was clean. Unlike the dust-covered volumes surrounding it, the book was entirely spotless, as if it had only been placed there a moment ago.

"Closing time!" came the call from the library's entrance, and quickly, Ari slipped the book into his bag.

It struck him as odd as he walked out the door; stealing was unheard of in Hyrule. Crime didn't exist, although there were no specific laws in the land, and Ari had to quiet these thoughts with the strange, subconscious knowledge that he was meant to have the book.

That night, Ari sat on his bed and placed the book in front of him. It was heavier than he had first thought and dragging it all the way home had been particularly tiring. He gazed at the book for several minutes, taking in all of the intricate detail on its cover, the smell of its leather binding, and the unnerving aura of power that it possessed.

His breathing became shallow as he reached out to open it. The first page appeared blank, so he turned to the next. Blank. Ari continued to flip pages ever more frantically until he gave up and slumped on the bed. The book was completely empty.

Anger and frustration overwhelmed him as he picked up the book and threw it on the ground. There it lay in menacing silence, almost laughing at him. Ari picked up the book once again and was about to hurl it into the fire when something extraordinary happened.

Where there had been nothing before, now words were etching themselves across the book's pages. Ari stopped where he was and sank to the floor, laying the book down reverently. Slowly he began to read to read aloud, just above a whisper, letting the words wash over him with every passing heartbeat.

'And so it was that the land of Hyrule cried out for a king. And from the western highlands there came a boy who was special, who smote the evil which threatened the land and took his rightful place as king of Hyrule and all who lived within its boundaries.'

Ari read on through the night, until dawn broke and the birds began their morning call. The following day at school, he was unusually quiet, Gustaf asked him if anything was wrong but he said simply that everything was fine. He did not tell his friend of the book, nor did he mention it to anyone else, and that night, as he sat cross-legged in front of the fire, he consumed more and more of the book's pages.


End file.
